Nonito Donaire Wins WBA Title Fight But Looking To Rematch? ‘The Filipino Flash’ Says Opponent Used ‘Dirty Tactics’ Against Him

Nonito Donaire came out victorious in his WBA super featherweight title fight against South African Simpiwe Vetyeka at the Venetian Macau in China on Saturday night. “The Filipino Flash” was awarded with a fourth round technical decision victory after Donaire suffered a cut due to a headbutt.

The fight was marred by controversy after both fans and scribes attributed it mostly to referee Luis Pabon’s inability to control the constant clashes of heads of both fighters, which ultimately resulted into the cut above Nonito Donaire’s left eye.

“The Filipino Flash” did, however, soldier on despite the injury, and managed to drop Vetyeka with a left hook in the fourth round. Unfortunately for the South African boxer, the fight was stopped and was called in favor of his Filipino opponent.

Nonito Donaire was also vocal about how the fight ended, and was open to giving Simpiwe Vetyeka an immediate rematch.

“You don’t like to see a fight end early but he’s the champion and he’s a real man and he said he didn’t like to win the title that way so he’s going to give the South African kid a rematch,” said the fighter’s promoter Bob Arum in an interview.

But despite Nonito Donaire’s class act after the fight, he also pointed out how his opponent used a number of “dirty tactics” against him.

“I feel like Vetyeka used some dirty tactics, because he was using his elbows, and his head,” Donaire said in Filipino, in an interview with upon his arrival in Manila on Sunday.

Nonito Donaire, however, was not that quick to jump the gun and brand Simpiwe Vetkeya as a “dirty fighter”, as he believes that it was merely the South African’s style of fighting.

“I don’t think he was trying to be dirty, but definitely, looking at it, it does seem like he employs a dirty style,” Donaire added. “But I think it was just his boxing style.”